Minority Report (2002)

Director:

Steven Spielberg

Writers (WGA):

Philip K. Dick (short story)
Scott Frank (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

21 June 2002 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

What would you do if you were accused of a murder, you had not committed... yet?

Plot:

In the future, criminals are caught before the crimes they commit, but one of the officers in the special unit is accused of one such crime and sets out to prove his innocence.

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Future | Washington D.C. | Police | Computer

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 16 wins & 47 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Sat. Dec. 5	12:00 PM	TNT
Sun. Dec. 6	3:00 AM	TNT

Cast

Tom Cruise	...	Chief John Anderton
Max von Sydow	...	Director Lamar Burgess
Steve Harris	...	Jad
Neal McDonough	...	Fletcher
Patrick Kilpatrick	...	Knott
Jessica Capshaw	...	Evanna
Richard Coca	...	Pre-Crime Cop
Keith Campbell	...	Pre-Crime Cop
Kirk B.R. Woller	...	Pre-Crime Cop
Klea Scott	...	Pre-Crime Cop
Frank Grillo	...	Pre-Crime Cop
Anna Maria Horsford	...	Casey
Sarah Simmons	...	Lamar Burgess' Secretary
Eugene Osment	...	Jad's Technician
James Henderson	...	Office Worker

Also Known As:

Total Recall 2 (USA) (original script title)
Minority Report (Austria) (Germany) [de]
Minority report: Sentencia previa (Argentina) (Mexico) [es]
Sentencia previa (Colombia) (Venezuela) [es]
нЯНАНЕ лМЕМХЕ (Russia) [ru]
Azinlik raporu (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Különvélemény (Hungary) [hu]
Minority Report (Slovakia) [sk]
Minority Report (Czech Republic) [cs]
Minority Report (Greece) [el]
Minority Report (Spain) [es]
Minority Report (France) [fr]
Minority Report - A Nova Lei (Brazil) [pt]
Raport mniejszosci (Poland) [pl]
Raport special (Romania) [ro]
Rapport minoritaire (Canada: French title) [fr]
Suvisni izvestaj (Serbia) [sr]

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for violence, brief language, some sexuality and drug content.

Runtime:

145 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Swedish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital EX | DTS-ES | SDDS

Certification:

Indonesia:Dewasa | Iceland:14 | Iceland:16 (video rating) | Malaysia:U | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) (original rating) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Canada:PG (Ontario) (video rating) (2005) | Brazil:14 | New Zealand:M | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Austria:14 (Niederösterreich) | Austria:16 (Steiermark) | Finland:K-15 | France:U | Germany:12 | India:A | Ireland:15 (video rating) | Israel:PG | Netherlands:12 | Norway:15 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:NC-16 | Singapore:PG (censored version) | South Korea:15 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:12 (canton of the Grisons) | UK:12 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #39066) | Ireland:12PG (original rating)

Filming Locations:

Ambassador Hotel - 3400 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Trivia:

This is the first movie Steven Spielberg has directed for 20th Century Fox. The studio, which handled theatrical distribution rights in North America, financed the film along with Dreamworks, which handled theatrical distribution rights in all other countries outside of North America. Dreamworks released the film on DVD and VHS in North America, while Fox handle DVD and VHS rights worldwide.

Goofs:

Plot holes: The sterling success of the Pre-Crime system has caused complacent carelessness. Anderton continues to have access to the Temple when this should have been revoked since he is a wanted man. The Temple is poorly protected with breakable glass, when it should be unbreakable.

Quotes:

Lycon: [to John Anderton] In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in 'War of the Worlds': Production Diaries, West Coast - Destruction (2005) (V)

Soundtrack:

Symphony No.6 in B Minor (Pathétique) Op. 74

One of the best/most complex science fiction films

Steven Spielberg sets Minority Report in the near future of 2054, in which the technology is advanced, but not far-fetched. Cars can drive themselves and ride up elevators, computers come with holograms as a user interface, and stores recognize you from your eyeball scan. As all science fiction fans know, however, the genre is not about technology but about ideas. The big idea for Minority Report is based on a short story by the venerable Philip K. Dick. In this future, there is a "pre-crime" unit in the police force, which revolves around three psychics who are able to see violent crimes before they occur. These visions are projected in a flat screen panel and manipulated by detectives with the grace of a symphony conductor. Equipped with futuristic stun guns, jet packs, and search robots, these cops then arrest and intern the criminals before the crimes are committed.

We learn all this in the first ten minutes of the movie. After this introduction, the plot really starts when Detective John Anderton (Tom Cruise) finds out that the precogs saw him kill someone, someone that he has never met. He finds himself in a race. With the forced recruitment of a precog, Agatha (Samantha Morton), he must clear his name before the predetermined murder. All the while, his old buddies, now helped with a special agent from the FBI (Colin Farrell), are trying to track him down.

Spielberg, with Janusz Kaminski, his cinematographer for many films, have crafted a visually stunning movie. The special effects are seamlessly incorporated of the world they created. The muted blues echo the style of black & white film noirs. John Anderton is similar to noir's morally ambiguous characters--a good cop with an illegal habit that is forced (by circumstances and desire) to betray the very things he loves.

But this is not just a special effects or mystery movie. The characters, all well drawn, are supremely acted by the cast. Tom Cruise is a good physical actor and he shows it here. By the way he sits or walks, we can intuit the grief and confusion that's going through him. Samantha Morton does a good job of portraying a haunted young lady who has seen too much. Colin Farrell skillfully balances the ambitious and professional sides of his character. As always, Max von Sydow authoritatively plays the respected father figure.

This is one of my favorite Science Fiction films. I would also recommend the following films. These (I think) influenced Minority Report.

"The Maltese Falcon" ~ film noir "A Clockwork Orange" ~ science fiction "Blade Runner" ~ science fiction (also based on a Dick story)

***** out of *****